How are students being set up for success?

When practicing math skills, teachers and students have several options. Cooperative games VS. Ipad apps are two choices. There are many apps for math skills practice. My personal favorite is a paid app, QuickMath. For this app, students are shown fluency facts growth at the end of each session. Students enjoy telling me how much faster they have become at math facts fluency. Others like Sushi Monster, IXL and AR Facts in a Flash are pretty good.

This year I've returned to cooperative math games. They do take time due to modeling and training, but I see the benefits in the added challenge of turn taking, listening skills, speaking skills, materials management, emotions management and social skills practice. For me, it would be easier to have students practice in isolation on their individual ipad app or individual worksheets, but the added level of social skills practice and regulating emotions is what students need for long term success. There is a difference between setting students up for success by eliminating challenge THAN setting students up for long-term success by creating challenge.      

 

Back to Nature: Day 2, Sharpen Observations with 5 Senses

During this environmental education lesson students built on Tchart notes (I NoticeI/ I Wonder) from Day 1. The learners sharpened observation skills by using 5 senses to describe a living thing in School Yard Habitat. I provided a list of words/adjectives for vocabulary development.

1. Class discussion about Day 1 chart. We created a class web of all nouns from Day1 observations. Defined noun.

2. Reviewed 5 senses and word lists.

3. Modeled a web where the living thing they chose is in the center and adjectives are outside.

4. Went to SYH. Reviewed appropriate behavior when being a scientist

5. Reviewed directions and example web. Reminded them to make CLOSE scientific observations based on 5 senses and record observation on their web in their science notebooks.

6. Ended with a whole class discuss about scientific observations.